Extreme Makeover: School Edition (EMSE)

 Extreme Makeover: School Edition is a non-profit organization that aims to renovate and provide resources for underfunded and neglected public schools all over America. At EMSE, we understand that students thrive the best in safe and comfortable settings, and we hope to help youths reach their full potentials by improving their learning environments.

I have had the privilege to attend private schools for all of my education. As a result, I had access to nearly any academic resources I wanted and had a plethora of opportunities – allowing me to be in the position I am today, a student at University of Southern California. However, as someone who has volunteered in overcrowded and underfunded schools, I have realized how dangerous and disheartening the learning atmosphere is and that this can be easily changed by a quick renovation.

This is where EMSE comes in. There is not a single foundation in America that focuses on renovating schools. Through renovations, schools that are in poor conditions will be safer for students to learn it, will create a more positive and motivating environment, and will encourage good teachers to stay. More so, by providing new and additional resources such as a better gym, computer labs, or a new library full of books, it can open thousands of doors for students and inspire students to achieve things they never thought was possible.

EMSE has a selection committee that will prioritize what school is in the most critical condition. Our team of highly trained construction workers and board members will then work the school and meet the students to determine what their needs are and what will benefit them the most. While EMSE is composed of a small but efficient team, we strongly believe in our mission, and we believe that even by renovating one school at a time, we can change the lives of many generations of students.

How Would I Make the World a Better Place?

There are so many things in the world that can be improved: from small issues such as my empty fridge to major issues such as Donald Trump being president (but I am not going to talk any more about him today since I have been hearing his name more than I want to for the last few months). My point is, there are so many problems in the world and I think that most of them can be fixed through education. Proper and well rounded education prevents ignorance, ignorance prevents hate/greed/a lot of other bad stuff, and that will prevent a lot of issues we face in the world today from happening in the first place. If education taught everyone how to love and accept others, there arguably will not be war, hate crime, discrimination... you name it. Additionally, fair and equal education will also help prevent poverty and increase general knowledge. So it seems like education plays a key role in making the world a better place. But where would I start? Ideally all over the world, but lets start small and somewhere more probable: America.

We would start by having:
1) Better teachers
Not a lot of people want to be teachers since its a job often looked down upon, and many teachers are not respected. As a result, you often get some teachers who do not really care or put in the effort to teach students to the best of their abilities, or have under-qualified teachers. To battle this, we should look to Finland's educational system where their teachers are highly trained, well paid, and respected (article for your reference: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jun/17/highly-trained-respected-and-free-why-finlands-teachers-are-different)

2) More funding/resources
Maybe instead of funneling all the money into military and prisons, America should give more money to schools, especially those in the inner cities.

3) Different tracks of education for people with different interests
People always focus on the 'smart ones'. By that, I mean those who are math geniuses, wants to be a doctor, is a great writer etc. But what happens to those who aren't? Most are just kind of pushed to the side, deemed stupid/useless, and forgotten about. That should not be the case. In Holland, students have an option of HAVO, VWO, and MBO (article for your reference:http://www.expatica.com/nl/education/Education-in-the-Netherlands_100816.html). By having 3 different tracks to take, no students are left behind and everyone can find something they enjoy and are suited for them. Not everyone is meant to be doctors, some want to be a hairdresser and that is perfectly fine.

The Blue Sweater - Part 2

The more I read the more I admire Jacqueline Novogratz. In chapters 9-15 of her book The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, Novogratz returns to Rwanda and continues her journey on helping people in poverty through social enterprises instead of non-profits such as those funded by UNICEF as well as how she founded the Acumen Fund. What stood out to me was when Novogratz stated that the philanthropic sector was changing, and that the word philanthropy itself "felt outdated" - something I am beginning to notice too through many social enterprises today such as Biolite or Terracycle. Like Novogratz, I believe that traditional charities are not sustainable due to the lack of resources invested (whether that be money or knowledgable staff to run it), and that by investing in entrepreneurs with great ideas to improve the world, will lead to a greater change and improvement in society.

Reading the last few chapters also reminded me of the kind spirit people could have. Despite the fact that she did have several unpleasant run in with locals, there were also those that treated her as one of their own. It reminded me of the time I spent in Cambodia where I was working with a organization called Tabitha for a year. Tabitha helps rural villages in Cambodia become self sufficient by putting them through a program where they:
1) Build their own well to start a farm
2) Sell the produce they grow and have enough money to buy farm animals
3) Make enough money to build houses instead of huts
4) Eventually move further into civilization and start more businesses to become self sufficient
I had the honor to help a village go through step 1 to 3, and as a result, I got to know many of the villagers really well. I still remember how on the first day I arrived, they wanted to share all their food with me despite of having barely anything to eat themselves. Reading Novogratz's experience just really reminded me of how through all the violence and corruption, people can be good.

While I found Novogratz's experience on how to set up sustainable and efficient financial structures for loans to be extremely interesting, I found myself awed by the level of perseverance, bravery, and commitment she had. Novogratz was physically assaulted and robbed on while running on the beach not too long after she returned to Rwanda, and instead of retreating back to a comfortable life in New York,  she kept herself composed and instead talked about "the economic conditions that would prompt young men to attack women". In addition to that, Novogratz was also disregarded by many of her co-workers, and suffered through the pain and loss after the Rwanda genocide where she lost many of her friends. With all that Novogratz has been through, she has really become one of my role models and what the definition of persistency.